Riverbed morphology and change in elevations affect ecosystems and navigation. Our study will be using historical hydrographic data from 1960 and 2010 in the Lower Apalachicola River. Prior work has examined thalweg elevations that suggest that the deepest values have been dominated by aggradation. This study aims to quantify the riverbed deformation and bed-load transport in the Lower Apalachicola River. To have a clear understanding of it, we will generate the bathymetry model, Digital elevation model (DEM). For parts of the riverbed lacking elevation data, we interpolated the hydrographic survey in a channel-centered coordinate system using the Ordinary Kriging with Anisotropy (OKA) interpolation method. This work will generate a DoD (DEM of Difference) to assess the riverbed deformation. Riverbed deformation will then be evaluated after subtracting the elevations between the DEMs at two different periods (1960 and 2010). This research is important for policymakers and researchers to enhance river management, policy formulation, and sustainability.
Hydromorphodynamic and sedimentation variations in lower Apalachicola River